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I'm stopping insulin, metformin and glicazide

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Thank you all for your kind support, help and advice. I have read through all the posts and I am humbled by the fact that there are so many kind people willing to share their thoughts and experiences with me.
My diabetes nurse told me that she knew nothing about diabetes when I firmly explained to her that I was not happy with the diabetes care I was receiving, and my brothers received better care where they lived. She walked out of the room and stood in the corridor waiting for me to leave. The consultant when I raised concerns about my HbA1c always being high and the last one was 68(lowest in 2 years), he said that was OK! I asked about my tryglyceride 8.5 and other lipids, his response your on the maximum dosage there is nothing else to be done .
I eat very little carbohydrates, most foods are low sugar/fat or zero, if I have porridge it is with a sugar substitute. Skimmed milk and very little red meat. Avoid fruit, if I do i eat berries as these have less sugar. And maybe once a month some chocolate.
The only thing I don't do is exercise, not since I was at school.
I explained to the team about my brothers, father, grandmother etc having having diabetes, and two cousins have just had kidney transplants, and my uncle was on dialysis and I didn't get an acknowledgement.
I have thought about all the kind advice and information that you have all kindly given, and I will approach the team from a firm and different angle. Thank you.
 
I am so pleased to hear back from you as I was worried about you. The way you have been treated by your care team is appalling. What is the point in a DN that knows nothing about Diabetes. Please stand firm and get the support you need and deserve. But when ever you are feeling you need help or support we will all do our best as we are all on this journey together.
 
Please don't give up! I felt like you two weeks ago. I have been type 2 since aged 40 and just got put on insulin. I cried when I was told, the nurse practitioner could care less, I was rushed out with facts fired at me. The pharmacist couldn't believe that they hadn't given me an actual demonstration of how to use the insulin pen. I was depressed for days and didn't dare eat (I had bad anorexia as a teenager). My readings were high, 17 after 10 hours of no food overnight. I was testing my blood for the first time too, sometimes having to use 4 testing strips for one result! (The doctors had said I didn't need to test on tablets and just to go by the HbA1c).

I decided enough was enough and I put myself on a strict diet, as I know losing a lot of weight is the only way to 'get rid of' type 2 diabetes. I am having 1000 to 1200 calories a day.

I also went bacrazy to see that nurse after 4 days. The follow up appointment had been just over 2 weeks, but I decided I couldn't go that long with such high readings. I was on 10 units of Humulin. Well she told me to increase by 2 units every 3 days until readings were normal. They are getting better but I suspect that I'll need to be on 20 units at least to get it right.

Sorry to go on about myself. I wanted you to know that despair is common with this horrible disease. If you think you might be suffering with clinical depression I urge you to seek help for that too. I think you should also complain to your practice manager about how you are being treated.

I did read on a forum (not sure which) about a 19 year old who has to take 124 units of insulin per day and eat one meal a day, if any, in order to get normal readings. So I guess for some people it is just more difficult to control.

Please keep posting about how you are doing Cornflake. This is my first post btw.
 
Cornflake57 said:
Thank you all for your kind support, help and advice. I have read through all the posts and I am humbled by the fact that there are so many kind people willing to share their thoughts and experiences with me.
My diabetes nurse told me that she knew nothing about diabetes when I firmly explained to her that I was not happy with the diabetes care I was receiving, and my brothers received better care where they lived. She walked out of the room and stood in the corridor waiting for me to leave. The consultant when I raised concerns about my HbA1c always being high and the last one was 68(lowest in 2 years), he said that was OK! I asked about my tryglyceride 8.5 and other lipids, his response your on the maximum dosage there is nothing else to be done .
I eat very little carbohydrates, most foods are low sugar/fat or zero, if I have porridge it is with a sugar substitute. Skimmed milk and very little red meat. Avoid fruit, if I do i eat berries as these have less sugar. And maybe once a month some chocolate.
The only thing I don't do is exercise, not since I was at school.
I explained to the team about my brothers, father, grandmother etc having having diabetes, and two cousins have just had kidney transplants, and my uncle was on dialysis and I didn't get an acknowledgement.
I have thought about all the kind advice and information that you have all kindly given, and I will approach the team from a firm and different angle. Thank you.
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That's nice to hear cornflake when I was at doctors yesterday a leaflet said that if you stop taking your meds it can effect your eyesight and could also cause heart attacks and strokes so glad to see you still doing something about it
 
Your diet does seem a bit strange - but that isn't surprising really with the poor level of information and help you have had.
You can eat any meat - with the fat that comes with it, fish, including oily fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese -- though check the ingredients - some is really salty, some not all that low carb. You can have cream with some berries - though blueberries are a lot higher carbs than other things called berries so best avoided or only eaten in mixtures.
Add to them salad stuff and low carb veges and you should be fine, but low fat milk is basically sugar water coloured white (it is naturally blue)
Someone has not started to do some research checking up on the 'eat low fat' advice, and the first findings are just appearing - basically it is carbs which cause heart disease, not natural fats.
If you are still going to take the medication you will need to be very careful as eating a low carb diet will put you into normal ranges, so glucose lowering medication can cause hypos.
You might need to eat high carb foods in small amounts - such as porridge, in order to counteract the medication.
It is all carbohydrates which elevate blood glucose, not just sugary foods, and so checking would be wise.
Personally I was so relieved to find that I could control things with diet alone - and that eating the low carb high fat diet caused my cholesterol numbers to improve - my triglycerides were 1.5 whatevers last time I was checked. I don't add fats to what I eat other than a bit of olive oil and vinegar for salad dressing as I use heavy pans - most are an ancient cast iron set which is now a polished black from decades of use and are better than any man made non stick pans - even the ceramic coated, as they just get smoother and better with every use.
 
Drummer said:
hough blueberries are a lot higher carbs than other things called berries so best avoided or only eaten in mixtures.
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Probably because Blueberries are truly a berry* (like Apples, Bananas & Grapes) & unlike most other fruits called berries which are invariably not.


*Botanical definition of a berry is a fruit with a single fleshy portion & multiple seeds
 
Hello @Cornflake57, it's a shame to read that your diabetic nurse didn't made their work.
I suppose that the best thing to do is to gather information: there are a lot of respectable book and online resource about diabetes and a good diet. Then a good talk with your GP is useful to reinstate the medication regime.
Unfortunately a lot of people with diabetes are left in the dark. I couldn't agree more with @Drummer. Poultry and rabbits is ok and in general grilled steak is ok, avoiding sauce. also seasoned cheese like Grana Padano or erborinated one lik eblue cheese is ok. Some real whole wheat pasta and bread is ok and some small fresh fruit too. Beware of the carb content. Vegetables are good, instead of the salat you cold try a "pinzimonio" (or a reverse salad, as I call it) where you prepare a cup with olive oil, vinegar, sals and some spices, and dip them. Fish is good, especially grilled.

Basically the actual problem with low fat idea is that is explained wrong and people ends in an high carbohydrate (sugar and starches), high fat, low protein diet.

Eatwell plate is explained in the wrong way. Wholegrains are better than refined wheat, but one has to cut the latter non eat more wholegrains in addition to refined ones.

I felt myself alone with the condition too, sometimes, luckily I've found a friendly forum.
 
Drummer said:
If you are still going to take the medication you will need to be very careful as eating a low carb diet will put you into normal ranges, so glucose lowering medication can cause hypos.
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Just need to clarify this - eating a low carb diet will not necessarily put a person 'in normal ranges', it certainly wouldn't for me, or anyone else whose pancreas is failing to provide sufficient insulin. Insulin insufficiency can occur in Type 2 as well as Type 1, so a closely monitored and cautious approach should always be followed. I do agree that the possibility of hypos may exist, so be prepared for that, but also the opposite can be true if medication is withdrawn too early - each case must be considered individually with the knowledge and guidance of those most familiar with a person's situation 🙂

Hopefully, @Cornflake57, the new approach with your team working with you will help you achieve this 🙂 Do let us know how you get on, and good luck 🙂
 
I'll try to be more clear. The biggest problem with the current Eat-well and similar diet advice, is that is really easy to follow a High Fat High carbohydrate diet that is an high calorie diet. This cause a lot of problems especially in diabetes control. People following a low carb diet could follow it more easily, so having a better caloric control. The problem with low carb is that is a superclass of a range of diet like Atkins or Mediterranean that are wildly different on nutrients intake.

I've had my metformin dose halved and stating cut athogeter, but I've had a talk with my GP.

as @Northerner said measuring the BG level is important to get a feedback when a medication or diet change happens.
 
Cornflake57 said:
My diabetes nurse told me that she knew nothing about diabetes when I firmly explained to her that I was not happy with the diabetes care I was receiving
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Wow. And as for being shown the door? Disgraceful. I would definitely make a complaint to the Practice Manager.
There's plenty of knowledgeable people and useful info on here, and it often seems to be that the "Professionals" are lagging behind when it comes to nutritional advice.
If you have a look through the recipes section there's loads of low carb ideas that you can use as a starting point.
It's your Diabetes, and everyone's is different. What works for some people doesn't work for others.

Do you have a blood glucose meter? If you do what sort of levels are you getting?

Spend some time looking around here and maybe jot down some questions you need answers to. Take these with you to your next appointment and make a point of checking that they are answered to your satisfaction before you leave. I really hope that the outcome is more positive.
regards
zx
 
Glad to hear back from you Cornflake; I too was feeling very concerned about you.

A DN that knows nothing about diabetes!!!!!! what is the point of having her there! I find it appalling that good care seems to depend on where you live. I have 6 friends who are Type II and another 1 just gone into and another possibly diabetic. My friends seem to get good care in this area but that is the right of everyone, it should not depend on postcodes.
 
Good to hear from you @Cornflake57 was getting a little worried.

With the help & advice from the good folks on this forum You will get the help you need. I would look at the what did you eat yesterday section, also the food & recipes section. Also, any pre-packaged food that claims "Low Fat" is to be avoided. Personally most of my food is made from scratch; much better control of what goes into my meals.
 
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